Generally, the concepts described herein relate to a golf club (e.g., a driver, fairway wood, iron, wedge, putter, etc.). More particularly, in some embodiments, the concepts described herein relate to customizing golf club fittings. For the sake of clarity and brevity, the concepts will be described in detail below with respect to wedge-type golf clubs, but could applied to any type of golf club.
Each golfer has a different swing type and physical characteristics (e.g., golfer's height, weight, arm-length, etc.). In order to optimize a set of golf clubs (e.g., a set of irons, a set of wedges, or an entire set of golf clubs including irons, wedges, etc.) for any particular golfer, a fitting process is generally employed to determine the proper specifications for each golf club in the golfer's bag.
The golf club fitting process generally requires a golfer to swing a golf club under the supervision of a golf club fitting specialist. Based on the results, the golf club fitting specialist may suggest adjustments to various golf clubs (e.g., switching to a different shaft length, a different shaft stiffness or “flex,” etc.), or ask the golfer to try a different golf club altogether. The golfer may continue to swing the adjusted golf club, and further adjustments may be made if necessary. Through this process, the golfer may arrive at a set of custom-fit golf clubs that is deemed to be optimal for that individual.
However, such a process requires the golf club fitting specialist to carry a large number of golf club components, particularly club heads and shafts. For example, for each club head, there may be tens to hundreds of shafts needed to ensure a best fit for a golfer, since shafts come in different lengths, flexes, brands, etc. Typically, to assure that the golfer is provided the opportunity to find the best-fit club, the golfer must be provided with a large number of club heads and club shafts to be combined in various combinations during the fitting process.
With respect to wedges, assuming that the variables for golf club shafts are limited to brand, shaft length, and shaft flex or stiffness, the maximum number of shafts needed to be carried by a golf club fitting specialist to ensure a full library of customization options can generally be calculated with the following expression:S=Σi=1nB·CL·SL,  (1)
where S is the total number of shafts needed, n represents the number of club heads with different wedge lofts offered, B represents the number of brands offered, CL represents the number of club lengths offered, and SL represents the number of stiffness levels offered. One skilled in the art will understand that this expression may be easily reconfigured to account for additional variables, and is a mere generalization, since not every brand of shaft necessarily offers each length and stiffness.
Assuming that a manufacturer provides club heads with eight different wedge lofts (e.g., 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60°), and for each wedge loft, two different brands of shafts, with each brand providing five different club lengths at four different stiffness levels (e.g., A-flex, R-flex, S-flex, and XS-flex), the manufacturer may have to provide a fitting specialist with eight wedge heads (one for each of the eight loft angles) and approximately 320 different shafts.
One reason why such a large number of shafts is required is that each different club head may require its own set of customizable shafts. For instance, the recommended shafts for a 46° pitching wedge range from 32.775 inches to 33.775 inches (in 0.5 inch increments), while the recommended shafts for a 58° lob wedge range from 32.405 inches to 33.405 inches (in 0.5 inch increments). Therefore, otherwise similar shafts (e.g. same brand and same flex), cannot be mixed and matched between wedges of different lofts.
However, a typical golf club fitting specialist works at multiple retail fitting sites, and must transport his or her fitting equipment between each fitting site using a “fitting cart.” FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a typical “fitting cart” 100. The fitting cart 100 includes storage space for multiple shafts 102, multiple club heads 104, and associated tools (not shown) for securing each head 102 to each shaft 104. The cart 100 further typically includes wheels 106 to enhance its portability. Since storage space within the cart 100 is limited, and since the size of the cart 100 is limited by considerations of weight and portability, it is not practical for the fitting specialist to carry several hundred different shafts.
Thus, one alternative is to limit the golfer to the subset of golf shafts and club heads carried by the golf club fitting specialist. The drawback of this option is that the golf club fitting specialist has a smaller pool of customizations to offer the golfer, which inevitably requires concessions to be made during the golf club fitting process. Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows thorough fitting of wedge-type golf clubs for golfers, while reducing the number of shafts needed to be carried by the golf club fitting specialist.